"Violent clashes erupted on the streets of Santiago on Sunday as hundreds of protesters took to the streets to demand rights for the Mapuche people, Chile's largest indigenous group. The move comes as thousands mark Day of Indigenous Resistance. Footage shows demonstrators playing traditional percussion instruments and waving banners and flags. As the protesters marched near the University of Chile, the demonstration was dispersed by police using tear gas and water cannons. Some attacked police vehicles with stones. Protesters called for an end to the state of emergency in Wallmapu (Mapuche territory), the restitution of ancestral lands, respect for Indigenous rights, a halt to mining and forestry activities, cultural recognition, and greater autonomy for their communities. Members of the Mapuche people rejected framing the commemoration as merely an 'indigenous' struggle, instead reaffirming their identity as the original inhabitants of the Americas. "There are many places where they call it the Day of Indigenous Resistance or the Day of the Oppressed Indigenous. We are not indigenous; we have to get rid of that vocabulary because that vocabulary is bourgeois. We are Mapuche, we are resistance, and we are still alive," said Catalina Quillempan, a member of the Mapuche people. Relatives and supporters of Mapuche leader Julia Chunil participated in the event, demanding truth and justice nearly a year after her disappearance on 8 November 2024 in Chile's Los Rios region. "We have received support, and today we are here on the Day of Resistance of Indigenous Peoples. We travelled from Wallmapu, I came from the southern territory, to raise my voice for my grandmother, because my grandmother needs truth and justice," said Liset Sanchez, the leader's granddaughter. The family is calling for a faster, more effective investigation, while communities and social movements continue to demand justice for Julia Chunil, a symbol of Indigenous territorial and environmental rights in Chile. Marches of Mapuche resistance often end in clashes between police and demonstrators, prompting the use of water cannons and tear gas. Human rights groups have criticised the security forces for alleged excessive force, with arrests and injuries reported on both sides."